The causes of hematological diseases are very diverse and sometimes very complex. Many diseases of the haematological form can be largely confined to changes in the genetic material in the form of mutations and other chromosomal anomalies. These changes in the genetic material in the form of mutations, for example, lead to the fact that important cellular processes for which the genetic material (genome) is responsible either occur incorrectly or not at all.
These processes are often involved in the regulation of the so-called cell cycle. The cell cycle regulates the growth and the programmed death of a cell, and thus contributes to the maintenance of the cell balance. Changes in these regulatory processes can lead to uncontrolled cell growth, which can ultimately contribute to the development of cancer/tumor.
A special form of hematological tumors is called leukemia. The word leukemia comes from the Greek and means “white blood“. Here, an uncontrolled growth of white blood cells takes place in the course of genetic changes.
Leukemias can be classified according to the duration of their development, i.e. acute or chronic, and the cell family from which they originate, i.e. lymphatic (from lymphocyte precursors) or myeloid (from granulocyte precursors). Accordingly, 4 forms of leukemia can be distinguished from each other: All leukemias have in common that they lead to an excess of precursor cells in the bone marrow and blood.
This excess of progenitor cells displaces healthy blood formation in the bone marrow and thus the other important blood cells that are involved, for example, in the transport of oxygen and blood clotting. Leukemia thus manifests itself, for example, as anemia, because the healthy red blood cells are displaced by the leukemia. ALL is the most common leukemia in children and is generally one of the most common types of cancer in children.
- Acute myeloid leukemia (so-called AML),
- Chronic myeloid leukemia (so-called CML),
- Acute lymphatic leukemia (so-called ALL) and finally
- The chronic lymphatic leukemia (so-called CLL).
A further disease of the hematological form includes the so-called lymphomas (lymph gland cancer). These are divided into numerous categories and, unlike leukemia, are solid tumors of the lymphatic system. Here, Hodgkin lymphomas are distinguished from so-called non-Hodgkin lymphomas.
These can often only be distinguished under the microscope or by using specific detection methods. Lymphomas can occur anywhere in the body and mainly develop from so-called B cells, a subtype of lymphocytes. Lymphomas can also be divided into low malignant and high malignant (slow and fast growing) lymphomas.
Paradoxically, high-malignant lymphomas are easier to treat than low-malignant lymphomas because they grow faster and therefore respond more sensitively to chemotherapy. The diagnosis of which lymphoma form is present is mainly made histologically (microscopically), cytochemically (cell chemical processes) and genetically. Among the so-called storage diseases as a cause for diseases in the blood are iron storage disease and copper storage disease.
The body does not manage to excrete sufficient amounts of iron or copper and stores them in various organs and tissues. The stored metal also causes functional disorders, as too much metal has a toxic effect. These mainly affect the heart, the blood-forming organs and the organs of the lymphatic system.
Hemoglobin formation disorders include diseases such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia. In these diseases, there is a disturbance in the formation of the red blood pigment haemoglobin. Hemoglobin is mainly involved in the transport of oxygen and is not produced sufficiently or only incorrectly in the above-mentioned diseases. This defective hemoglobin is removed from the body mainly via the spleen and liver, and patients often have a hemoglobin level that is too low, which is reflected in the picture of anemia.
